THE GREATEST SHOW UNEARTHED

[whocouldwinarabbit]

WHO: The HABIT whocouldwinarabbit and his eighteen lucky Rabbits.
WHERE: Yankee Stadium.
WHEN: Tuesday, November 13 afternoon onward.
WARNINGS: Not for the children. Graphic murder expected.
SUMMARY: THUNDERDOME.
FORMAT: Whatever our contestants would like.

"Rise and fucking shine, campers!" blasts the loudspeaker.

Eighteen bodies. Not a bad turnout. He's hauled them into the locker rooms to wake up together, tied balloon strings to their wrists, the balloons Skittles colors. Angora, some say in sharpie, Flemish Giant. And all have a smile drawn on, bunny ears on top.

"You're probably wondering what the hell you're doing here, right? Wonder no more! Welcome to the Trials, rabbits. Time to feed the HABIT."

The crowd roars in response, their fists in the air. They're not nearly enough to fill the stands, not hardly, the count's barely crawling up to a hundred -- but it's the impassive eyes of the cameras set up around the stadium that matter. These idiots are just for the noise of it.

"Now, see, the rules to this game are real simple. All you gotta do is kill everybody else. That's it! What could be easier, right? Knife in the brain. Sword in the guts. I don't care how you do it, just do it, meat. Look at it this way: the Porter'll bring you back good as new. So... what's keeping you? Besides, hey... the winner gets a prize."

HABIT laughs tinnily through the sound system, over the sound of the crowd. "If one of you makes a break for it -- go ahead! I encourage it, make your move -- but you will notice that there's no escape. Can't have you spoiling my fun, now can we? The good people up there in the stands paid twenty-nine ninety-nine for a show, and by fucking golly, they're gonna get it."

"Now... if you'll look at the balloons for your group assignments. Flemish Giants, why don't you come on out here? No, no, hey, don't be shy. Being first is a big ol' honor. So show us some blood!"

He hits the music, and opens the doors.

Comments

[xxii_thefool]

[Minako wants more than anything to agree with Rin. This is wrong. None of them are killers. None of them has any reason to fight the others. There has to be some other way out of this, some way they can all get out alive.

But she watched the other rounds, the other groups. If it were as easy as refusing to fight, she's certain, every other round up until now wouldn't have ended in death.

She's racked her thoughts for a solution, but she's come up with none, and there's no more time.

So what she says to Kanaya, quietly and very reluctantly, is:]

...are you sure?

[glowsferatu]

[ well, neither of the other two are killers, and their hesitation drives that point home. this will make things logistically more difficult, but also makes kanaya's path all the more clear.

she moves with incredible speed, leaving nothing but a fading trail of light where she was before, suddenly right in front of minako, her hands on her shoulders, her voice low and her eyes desperate. ]

Listen to me, take a look around us. There's only one way for this to end. [ she shoots a glance at rin. ] They aren't going to think us magnificently clever for abstaining, neither will they appreciate any purity of heart! [ and back to minako, her tone growing deadly serious. ] They want blood, and they'll get it any way they can. Only one of us walks away from this, or none of us do.

[ she looses her grip on the other girl's shoulders, taking a step back. ] I just know that...i-it shouldn't be me. I've earned this.

[xxii_thefool]

[Minako's breath catches at Kanaya's sudden movement, but there's no reflexive move to defend herself, just a jolt of surprise. The desperation in the other's face and voice brings a look of pained compassion to Minako's.]

Nobody's earned this.

[She says it with absolute conviction.

But Kanaya's right about one thing: refusing to cooperate, refusing to fight, is only going to get all three of them killed. Watching the other groups proved that.

Two lives for one, or even just one life for another - she can't stand that kind of a trade. It goes against everything she believes, but - if it comes down to a choice between two of them dying, or all three...

Eyes filling with tears, she steps forward and puts her arms around Kanaya to hug her.

As if to make Kanaya's point, the crowd boos the gesture.]

I get it. I understand, so...

[She steps back quickly, and looks around her at the weaponry lying scattered around. It only takes a few more steps and she bends to pick up a sword, handling it with the awkwardness of one not used to wielding it.

She tests the edge with a fingertip. It seems sharp enough.]

[gandere]

[ The whole scenario is painful and wrong to think about, Rin caught up in her emotions. She's always been a passionate person and impulsive with her mood swings. When Minako wanders off a bit, the girl turns to face the other one with a determined look on her face. ]

She's right, you know. [ Rin manages to find her voice enough to say that, forcing herself to see the way through to the end of her words. ] You didn't earn this, neither did she, or myself. We were... We were tricked.

[ It's rare for Rin to admit she's wrong, much less deceived, but the truth of the matter was that they were all here by a mistake. That young girl with the blue hair from before in the locker room. She was frantic and her words are starting to finally cultivate in Rin's mind. ]

Death... Death is only temporary in this place, isn't it? [ Archer came back, so Rin will too. That's what she's sure of as she gives a nod. ] Wait, why am I even considering death as an option? We just can't!

[glowsferatu]

[ a hug was the last thing she was expecting. she has to swallow hard and close her eyes tightly to hold back a sob, and finds herself shaking once minako moves to select a weapon.

no one like that should have to be made a killer. she grits her teeth at the crowd and that's when she feels the tears start, pale green against her bright cheeks. they're the ones who deserve it the most. she could just leap into the stands and tear them all to pieces, make a feast of the blood that would paint the bleachers. she could--lose herself and become little more than the mindless monster they want her to be.

she swallows again and calls after minako faintly: ] You need to hurry. I-it could be dangerous to delay.

[ she turns to face rin, and there's a frustration in her misery. yes, death wasn't permanent. unfortunate, in kanaya's own case, and in other cases she wishes it wouldn't be so insistent with...but then at least it works for others. finn, both of them here. but there's more to this situation than that. ]

I'm not saying I deserve it for being here. I deserved to be here already. You probably don't.

[ he wraps her arms around herself and turns her eyes back to minako. ] I can't expect you to understand.

...I could have easily killed the both of you by now if I wanted.

[xxii_thefool]

[Gripping the sword's hilt with both hands, Minako faces Kanaya with tears flowing freely down her cheeks.]

I'm... I'm really sorry for this.

[Her voice is quiet and shaky.]

No matter what's happened in the past... you deserve better. I'm sure of it.

[The proof, for Minako, is in how desperately Kanaya insists that she doesn't.

But even so, Minako still can't see a way out for all three of them.

Even in the face of Kanaya's urging to hurry, she falters, thoughts spinning wildly. At the very least, she has to try to make it as quick and clean as possible, but how--? Go for the heart? Minako's not at all certain she'd be able to hit it, and looking at Kanaya she can't even be sure that she's built like a human inside to begin with - trying it might just end up causing her unnecessary pain.

...gruesome as it will be, the best thing is probably...

She swallows hard, draws in an unsteady breath, and visualizes the card in her mind:

Death.]

...Thanatos, please help me...

[She raises the sword with both hands and quickly closes the space between herself and Kanaya, swinging the blade horizontally with all her Persona-enhanced strength and aiming for just above the place where neck and shoulders meet.]

[gandere]

[ Why? Rin wants to choke out the question, but instead her throat constricts in on itself as reality continues it's forced invasion. This girl with the darker skin bothers her in ways she didn't think were still possible. How she goads, no, guides Minako to do what is necessary.

Necessary.

It's Rin's instinct. Whether she wants to admit to it or not, that crest that lays dormant within her arm operates in such a way. If Rin were to be mortally wounded, it might make her body react in a way that was painful just to prolong her life a little longer. She's read up about it before, but to think of it happening to her in this place.

No, she can't allow it. Just like she can't allow Minako to raise that sword so elegantly and... ]

No.

[ Her voice is weak, but she can't turn away now. No, this is something Rin Tohsaka must watch take place. ]

[glowsferatu]

[ she'd shake her head at minako's comment about what she deserves, but there isn't time. instead, she stands up straighter, holding her chin up and steeling herself for the deathblow.

or, at least, what she hopes will be a deathblow. she's still not entirely sure this will work, if her undeath will present some special obstacle to it.

her head flies with a green trail behind it, before hitting the ground with a dull thud. the body takes a moments to collapse, her glow slowly fading from her skin until its left as the grey more typical of her species, jade spewing from the wound.

it did work. kanaya maryam is finally dead again. ]

[xxii_thefool]

[Minako stumbles back a few steps, then her legs give out from underneath her and, with a sob, she drops to her knees. One of her hands leaves the hilt of the sword to cover her mouth, partly out of sheer horror, partly in some kind of an effort to keep herself from throwing up.

She's seen death, but being the instrument of it is something altogether different.]

[gandere]

[ Rin doesn't cry easily; she never has and never will. The time she has was in a foreign country and there's no way the other party remembers it as well as she did. In fact, she'll deny it if it's ever brought up. So she can't cry whenever the strange-colored blood spills out from her form.

In fact she can't even bring herself to look away from the collapsed body to acknowledge Minako. Not right now. Because the inevitable was that she was going to use that very same weapon against her.

This is why it was so stupid to get close to people. Really. ]

[xxii_thefool]

[Somehow, Minako doesn't throw up. Instead, she scrubs the tears away from her eyes with the side of her hand, not that it helps, and sucks in another deep, shuddering breath.

There's no time. She knows what she has to do next. There's nothing left but to do it.

Still kneeling on the turf, the sword held awkwardly halfway across her lap, she blinks back her tears and looks up towards Rin, miserably.]

Rin... I'm really sorry... for leaving things unfinished, but...

[gandere]

You... You can't leave them unfinished.

[ Rin manages to say that much as she swallows her pride and turns her head to face Minako. There's reluctance in her expression as she softens up a bit. Because as much as she wants to be angry, she honestly just wants this to be over as quick as possible. ]

So go on, let's just finish this quick.

[ Before Archer notices she's missing. The last thing she wants is for him to be upset with Minako for eliminating her. ]

Right, the sooner things are taken care of, the better.

[xxii_thefool]

[That brings a fresh flood of tears to Minako's eyes that blinking fiercely does nothing to suppress. She nods, trying to smile and not succeeding at all.]

...yeah. You're right.

It isn't much, but... this will at least buy a little time. So...

[Still kneeling, she lifts the sword again, settling both hands once more firmly on its hilt and turning it around to touch the point to her chest.]

...find a way out, okay?

[gandere]

Wh...wha?

[ The word is sputtered out, then drawn out in a manner that properly displays her shock. This can't be happening. The tip of that sword covered in the blood of another isn't supposed to be pointed at it's killer.

No, it's rightful place is in the chest of Rin herself. So why? ]

What are you doing?! [ Her voice is more frantic than it should be because if Rin lives, then that means she's victorious. So she can't sit here and object to it. ] Well?! What are you doing?!

[xxii_thefool]

It's all right.

[Minako's hands tremble on the hilt of the sword, but her voice is surprisingly steady, and very soft.

She draws in a deep breath to brace herself.]

--I choose this fate of my own free will.

[And with those words, she yanks the sword's hilt hard towards her body, plunging the blade straight through herself.]

[gandere]

Stupid!

[ It comes out more of a frantic shriek than the scold she wishes it to be, as she forces herself to scramble to her feet. There were ways to increase her speed, but it never once dawns on her when she sees the light flicker in her eyes.

She chose this fate?

Why does anyone choose to die willingly? Even if Rin just a few seconds ago came to the realization that she will have to die today, it bothers her now that Minako is doing this. Who does she think she is forcing this on her? To see another person die before her in a bloody way; that marks three in the past month. ]

Stupid, stupid, stupid. [ Rin murmurs, caring little if Minako can actually hear the insults as her hands gently reach out for her arms. ] Hold on, maybe I can just heal this. I've performed that kind of miracle before, so I should be able to do it again.

[ It's a lie since there's no possible way she can do anything of the sort now, but it's alright to tell an untruth at a moment like this. Not really to Minako, to herself. ]

[xxii_thefool]

[Minako tries to pull the sword back out, but she only manages to dislodge the blade a few inches - bringing with it a rush of more blood from the already blood-drenched wound - before her strength gives out and she collapses the rest of the way to the ground.

She manages a tiny shake of her head at Rin's words, then shudders and squeezes her eyes shut. Marshaling one last effort, she forces out just a few more words, thick-voiced and quietly urgent.]

...Live... Rin...

[Then she's still.]